MI- Internet sting nabs 2 Wayne-Westland suspects

5-29-2008 Michigan: (Phase-II)

Two area men are among 11 people arrested last week as part of a multi-jurisdictional Internet child predator sting.

_____, 25, of Westland and ____, 31, of Wayne, now face criminal charges after allegedly being caught in the second phase of a sting operated by the Van Buren Township Police Department, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department, and the Michigan Attorney General’s Office that targeted adults who solicited sex from or sent sexually graphic materials to children via computer.

Both ___ and ____ now face one charge of communicating via the Internet to commit a crime—accosting and soliciting a minor for immoral purposes, which is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Both men are also accused of one count of communicating via the Internet to commit a crime, specifically the dissemination of sexually explicit material to a minor. If convicted on the second charge, the punishment is up to four years in prison.

The first phase of the joint operation, which prompted the arrests of 27 men, was a three-day sting in March in which alleged predators traveled to a home in Van Buren Township with the expectation that the meeting would allegedly provide a sexual experience involving a minor.

“The first 27 suspects were the ones who showed up at the house, then several others sent things over the web, but never showed up,” said Jerry Champagne, director of the public safety department for Van Buren Township. “One guy didn’t even show up in March because two days prior to our sting he was arrested in Macomb County for the same thing. Another guy actually contacted a girl and convinced her to go to Europe with him, but he was arrested because the girl’s mom saw it on the computer.”

The more recent crackdown, known as phase two, targeted individuals who had chatted online with volunteers posing as minors, but who didn’t travel to the decoy location during the earlier phase.

“This Internet predator sting was unique,” said Attorney General Mike Cox. “Most focus only on those predators that traveled, but not with this project. If you solicit a child for sex or send sexually graphic material to a youngster, you don’t escape prosecution just because you never got off your couch. Identifying this type of Internet predator can be difficult, but the extra effort is worth it to protect children from those who seek to harm them by using the Internet.”

According to Rusty Hills, spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, it is not unusual for law enforcement personnel to be online in the hopes of capturing a predator. Instead, he said that it was the sheer magnitude of the sting that made it unusual.

“Often times you have young people on the computer who are too trusting,” said Hills. “They may not listen to their mom or dad…but they’ll believe anything they read on the Internet.”

The sting, he said, essentially turned the tables on would-be pedophiles who take advantage of that trust by hiding their identity online to solicit children when the ‘kids’ turn out to be adult volunteers.

Volunteers were provided through the non-profit organization Perverted Justice, which is operated specifically to find and help convict pedophiles and to discourage would-be pedophiles from acting. The group is well known for their efforts nationwide, including the ‘To Catch a Predator’ specials that are regularly broadcast on Dateline NBC.

“This two-phase operation has been an unqualified success and taken countless children out of harm’s way,” said Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans. “The arrests made during phase two are equally as important as those made at the sting house because each suspect’s ultimate goal has been the same: sexual gratification through the exploitation of children.”

Between the two phases, the operation has resulted in 38 arrests of men from Michigan as well as one from New Jersey. The suspects ranged from 19 to 57 years old. ..News Source.. by Meghan Chatham, Staff Writer